What are the advantages and disadvantages of racial profiling?

Answer 1

The largest disadvantage of racial profiling is the increased number of innocent people being stopped or targeted by law enforcement for no other reason than their race. This can result in injury and death of innocent citizens, especially when the innocent victim becomes irate over being targeted when they have done nothing wrong and law enforcement (or some other armed vigilante) overreacts. The Trayvon Martin tragedy is a good example. This can create tensions between minorities and officials, which can lead to further misunderstandings.

• It encourages officials to treat all people of one kind as criminals in a "better safe than sorry" attitude.
• Racial profiling can also be used as an excuse for casual or overt racism.
• Worsened race relations causes minorities to be less likely to try to become officials, thus leading to a statistically homogeneous number of officials due to fewer applicants.
• Racial profiling can lead people to feel victimized, sometimes requiring mental counseling for their encounters.
• Racial profiling is bad for business in several ways. It discourages businesses from starting up in areas with a large number of minorities. It discourages banks from giving loans to qualified borrowers due to race.
• An innocent person may be charged by an officer and convicted in court.
• It sends the message that our police and in effect our courts are corrupt.
• Racial profiling leads to the wrong conclusions. Not all people of a similar race act the same no matter what the race is.
• It allows the already disadvantaged to be more at a disadvantage. They do not enjoy the same constitutional rights as those who are never "racially profiled".

Answer 2

The benefits of racial profiling are that it forces richer and middle class minorities to care about what happens to the lower class. Minorities are affected en masse by racial profiling, regardless of their social standing. For example, middle class African Americans are still affected by stop and frisk police enforcement in New York. This shared affront helps unite all minorities against unconstitutional actions of the police, instead of dividing the minority groups into good (rich) and bad (poor) groups.

It prevents some crime from being committed by minorities.

Another Perspective

There are no "benefits" to racial profiling whatsoever.

Answer 3

Advantages and disadvantages of racial profiling

Answer 4

There are far more disadvantages to racial profiling than advantages. One disadvantage is that these statements are untrue and very hurtful.

Answer 5

Here in the 21st century there are no pros to racial profiling.